To set a new world record, how many drones did Intel fly simultaneously over the 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony?

Intel’s drone light show team flew more than 1,200 drones at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games opening ceremony, setting a new Guinness World Record.
Intel Corporation

Apparently setting records and reaching new heights at the Olympic Games isn’t just reserved for the competing athletes. Intel kicked off this year’s Winter Olympics by setting a new Guinness World Record for the “most unmanned aerial vehicles airborne simultaneously.” Prerecorded for the show, the flight used 1,218 of Intel’s Shooting Star drones to form a bird, a snowboarder and the Olympic rings in the night sky above Pyeongchang, South Korea.

The Shooting Star drone, first of its kind, was designed and created solely for the purpose of light shows. It is equipped with bright LED lights that can produce more than 4 billion color combinations. A group of them can be programmed to form any animation, like a moving snowboarder or flying bird.

“It’s been exciting for us to partner with Intel on the Winter Olympics, as they continue to push the limits with their advanced drone light show technologies,” said Sam Prosser, Guinness World Records' commercial director for the EMEA and APAC regions. “From flying 100 drones simultaneously in 2015, to 500 drones in 2016, and now more than 1,000 drones — the sky is the limit with entertaining through Intel drone light shows.”